Can-testing machine



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1. E. E. ANGELL. CAN TESTING MACHINE.

No. 439.851. Patented Nov. 4, 1890.

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Patented Nov. 4, 1890.

ITNE SSESEI (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

E. E. ANGELL.

CAN TESTING MACHINE.

"No. 439,851.. Patented Nov. 4, 1890.

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(No Model.)

B. E. ANGELL I CAN TESTING MAUHINBF No. 439,851. Patented Nov. 4, 1 890 III I 5 a mum wnsns' cu; mmo-umm \ucumcmn. u. 9.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDW'IN E. ANGELL, OF BOSTON, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO E. B. IVELCI'I, I

OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

CAN-TESTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 439,851, dated November 4, 1890.

Application filed June 29, 1889. Serial No. 316,963. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWIN E. ANGELL, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Can Testing Maghines, of which the following is a specifica- This invention relates to machines for testing sheet-metal cans, in which the cans to be tested are charged with compressed air and carried through a body of water, so that in case the can is leaky the escape of air bubbles through the water will reveal the fact.

. The invention consists incertain improved devices and combinations of parts relating to the organized machine, of which the said rotary head or valve and its seat are elements, all of which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents an end elevation of my improved testing-machine. Fig. 1 represents a front view of the cam that operates the can -cla1nps. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of my testing-machine, the tank being in section and portions of the can-clamping devices broken away. Fig. 3 represents a top View, the can-clamping devices being broken away. Fig. 4 represents a section on line a: 0:, Fig. 1. Fig. 45* represents a section on line z .2, Fig. 4. Fig. 5 represents an enlarged side view of one of the can-clamps. Fig. 6 represents a section on line y y, Fig. 1. a

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all of the figures.

In the drawings, a represents the water tank or trough. 1) represents the rotary head or valve, which is affixed to a horizontal shaft 1), and is arranged so that its lower portion projects into the tank.

0 represents the fixed head or valve seat, the lower portion of which also projects into the tank. Said fixed head is of circular form, and its front side, on which the rotary head orvalve bears,is fiat, the contacting surfaces of the valve and seat being ground or planed to fit each other closely. The fixed head has a square boss or projection 0' (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1) on its back, which fits a square socket in the supporting frame or hous ing d, the head 0 being thus rigidly supported In the fixed head 0 is formed an air-passage f, Fig. 4, which is connected bya pipe g with a source of supply of compressed air. I have here shown said pipe as connected with a storage-tank h, which may be supplied with compressed air by any suitable apparatus. The air-passage f communicates with a segmental port '0', Figs. 4 and 4:, which opens through the face or valve-seat of the fixed head, and is located below the top of the tank, so that air passes through said port to the ports of the rotary head or valve hereinafter described when the said ports are within the tank.

The rotary head or valve is provided with a series of can-seats j, and with devices hereinafter described for clamping cans against said seats. Through each can-seat and the portion of the rotary head or valve on which it bears extends a port 70, Fig. 4, said ports being arranged to coincide with the segmental port 'a' in the fixed head or valve-seat when the rotation of the head or valve 1) brings the cans into the tank. It will be seen, therefore, that when the head I) is rotated the cans applied to its can-seats will be connected with the air-supply when they enter the water,- and will be shut off from the air-supply when they emerge from the water, so that while they are passing through the water the imperfections of the cans, if any, will be indicated by air bubbles in the Water.

The cans are held to the can-seats by clamps composed of arms m, formed on or rigidly attached to the can-seats j, each arm having a plunger n, attached to a shank or rod 0, which is adapted to slide in ears 0 0' on said arm m, and is pressed by a spring 19 toward the corresponding seat j, said spring bearing against a collar q, attached to said rod.

011 the collar q is a trundle-r0110", which is arranged to bear on a fixed segmental arm or cam 1, which is supported by a standard it, attached to the frame of the machine. Said cam is formed to retract the trundle-roll when the latter reaches the lower end of said cam and release said roll when it passes from the upper end of the cam, so that when the trundie-roll r of any clamp reaches the upper end of the cam, the head rotating, as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, said roll and the plunger 72 to which it is connected will be projected by its spring toward the can-seat, and will thus be caused to hold the head of a can against the can-seat, said can passing from a chute '0 into the space between the can-seat and plunger just before the plunger is moved, as described, to hold the can. passing from the chute, is arrested by a stop or rest w in the proper position relatively to the plunger and can-seat. Said stop is pref erably a curved extension of the bottom of the chute, as shown in Fig. 1, although it may be a bracket w on the clamp-arm m, as shown in Figs. 4: and 5. The can-seat is preferably provided with a rubber ring A, which surrounds the port j and serves as a packing to prevent the escape of air between the seat and the can-head. After the can is secured as described it is carried by the rotation of the head I) in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1,and in the course of its move ment is submerged in the water in the tank.

0 represents a guide located in the tank a, and is formed to positively support the trundle-roll r and the clamp connected therewith while the air-pressure is exerted on the interior of the can. The can is thus prevented from being blown off its seat by said pressure. When the can-clamp, after emerging from the water, reaches the lower end of the cam, t, the trundle-roll r bears on said cam, and is moved backwardly thereby to release the can, which thereupon drops onto a pivoted trap D,..and rolls from thence down a discharging-chute E. Said trap is pivoted at F to the end of the chute or any other suitable fixed support, and is arranged to be raised by the can, as shown in Fig. 1, while the latter is moving upwardly and before it is released, the trap falling to the position shown in dotted linesin Fig. 1, when the can passes above it, so that when the can falls the trap forms a. continuation of the chute.

Fig. 1 shows a face view of the cam 16, from g which it will be seen that the said cam has a lateral curvature .9 near its lower end, which moves the clamp backwardly and releases the can.

represents a chute below the dischargechute E, said chute H having a trap D, arranged like the trap D of the chute E. The lower chute H is to receive imperfect cans which are observed to be leaky. The operator releases such cans after they pass the trap D and before they reach the trap D by throwing back the clamp by means of alever I, which is pivoted at J to the arm m, and is engaged with the collar q.

It will be seen that the operation of the machine is continuous and practically automatic,fthe attendant having only to inspect the cans as they pass through the tank, and discharge the imperfect ones, as above described.

The can, in

The rotary head I) is rotated by powercommunicated from a driving-shaft 0 through suitable gearing P Q or otherwise.

A gas-burner or other heater R is preferably located under the tank a to Warm the water therein.

I claim 1. In a can-testing machine, the combination, with a tank or trough, of a rotary disk or head extending into the same and provided with a series of can-clamps, can-seats, and ports passing through said seats, and a stationary head or valve-seat fitting tightly against the rear face of the said rotary disk or head and provided with a port communieating with a source of, compressed-air supply and also with the valve-ports of the rotary head within the tank, substantially as set forth.

2. In a can-testing machine, the combinaure, substantially as set forth.

3.. In a can-testing machine, the combination, with the tank or trough A, of the rotary head or disk 1), extending into said tank or trough and provided with a series of canclamps and perforated can-seats, the stems of said clamps having rollers 73 the stationary head or disk fitting closely against the rear face of the said head 19 and having the airpassage f and the segmental port 2' within the tank and communicating with said air-passage, and the fixed guide 0 within the said tank, said guide engaging the said rollers to hold the said clamps against the air-pressure, substantially as set forth.

4. In a can-testing machine, the combination, with the trough or tank A and the rotary 1 head I), provided with a series of can-clamps composed of arms 0% and plungers n, having spring-pressed rods or shanks 0, of the releasing hand-levers I, pivoted to the said arms m, and the chute H, into which the imperfect cans are discharged when the said hand-levers are operated, substantially as set forth.

5. In a can-testing machine, the combination, with a trough or tank and a rotary disk or head extending into the same and provided with a series of clamps having releasing handlevers, and a series of can-seats having ports, of a stationary disk or head closely fitting againstthe rear face of the said rotary disk or head and having a port communicating with a source, of compressed-air supply and with the ports of the said rotary disk or head within the said tank, a chute for receiving the imperfect cans, a chute for receiving the ISC perfect cans, and a fixed cam for releasing the clamps to discharge the cans into the latter chute, substantially as set forth.

6. In a can-testing machine, the combination, with a trough or tank, of a rotary head or disk extending into the same and provided with a series of can-clamps and with perforated can-seats, a stationary head or disk also extending into said trough or tank and having an air-passage communicating with the said perforated can-seats Within the said tank, a fixed cam for automatically releasing the said can-clamps, can-supplying and can-dis charging chutes adjacent to said fixed cam, 

